Sunday, December 20, 2015—It was discovered that a tribal casino that opened its doors on Sunday at 1pm in the Phoenix-Glendale area does not have a license for its casino games. The casino has been in the planning stages for a long time. The Tohono O’odham Nation finalized the build and opened the doors. However, it is missing its casino games due to a lack of a proper license. The tribe went ahead and opened the Glendale casino even though the Arizona Department of Gaming certificate has not been issued. State officials are refusing the certification for Desert Diamond Casino West Valley.
The casino is not going to have high-roller table games like blackjack or any table games that require a dealer. The tribe hopes it is a temporary situation. The tribe also tried to purchase slot machines; however, the state stopped the purchase saying the casino was unauthorized. It meant choosing a bingo style game that is like a slot machine, but considered a class II. Table games are a class III certification.
Since the tribe could not put in class III games, they have turned it into a class II casino, according to Chairman Edward Manuel.
According to the state department spokesperson, the Class III approval was not granted due to a gambling compact with the tribe being invalidly entered as per the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. A letter sent in April by Governor Doug Ducey to Gaming Department Director Bergin states the tribe engaged in fraud due to a lack of disclosure regarding their plans for a casino in Phoenix. When the tribe was negotiating the gambling compact the tribe did not mention the casino plans. The letter also said the state could consider cancelling the tribe’s gambling compact.
For now the decision will be left to the courts. The tribe is confident they can get the facility into a class III certification level.